Absent
by lightning bird
Summary: Why was Patrick Utonium absent when Dexter was Taken by his Fusion double? A companion piece to my story 'Taken,' set in my FuFa AU.
1. Prior Engagement

**Absent**

by lightning bird

A/N This takes place before, during, and after the primary events of my story _Taken,_ and I advise you to read that first or this story won't make loads of sense. Professor Utonium is noticeably absent from _Taken,_ and from the start I knew there was a very good reason he wasn't there when Dexter needed him most, but until now I hadn't worked out exactly why. This leans very heavily on _Ben 10: Alien Force, _and I've taken some license with Plumber ranks and hierarchy. Like _Taken_, this story will jump around a bit from present to past and back, so I beg your indulgence if I cause any confusion. This is a companion piece to _Taken_, not the sequel I'm planning.

**One: Prior Engagement**

_"All right, General, where is he?"_

The dark-skinned man gazed at her image in the comm cube with his usual composure, unperturbed by her tone and attitude and sympathetic to her concern. Technically they were peers despite almost forty years difference in their ages, and though her experience could not compare to his, his army could not compare to hers.

Major General Neelandu Shaan steepled his fingers before him and waited a few moments before making his reply. "Mandy, I sent a message to the Plumbers the day you contacted me asking for his immediate recall."

Her eyes narrowed sharply. _"So where is he? I called you as soon as I had concrete information. That was six days ago."_

"He should be en route," he began, and then paused as a thought struck him.

_"But _is_ he?"_ she demanded. _"The Plumbers got him to Darama fast enough when they needed him. I need him back. Now. General, the KND are getting their butts kicked in Banff. I can't keep Tennyson here any longer and he's the only thing that's keeping Dexter from falling to pieces."_

"What about his sisters?"

_"I had to get the Powerpuffs back in action as much for their sakes as for mine. They're taking turns staying up with him at night, and that includes DeeDee, but he needs his father."_

"How is he?" Shaan asked softly.

She tried to find the right word, throwing her hand up in a frustrated gesture. _"He's a wreck, just like you'd expect after being kidnapped and tortured by that sicko copy of himself. He can't hear much and he can barely talk. He hasn't complained too much, but I think he's afraid to sleep."_

The General listened in silence to the young girl's ranting, his expression never changing. His smoldering calm was the equivalent of her loud fury, and thanks to his position as a Plumber, his reach was far greater than Mandy's. His situation was unique even for a Plumber, because he had managed to maintain command rank in two military organizations that didn't always see eye-to-eye. Both the US Army and the Plumbers had come to recognize the value of someone in his position, though, and he served as liaison between the two forces.

It was Shaan who had first met Dexter and recognized his potential, and it was through Shaan's efforts to get the Null-Void into production that the boy genius was so deeply embroiled in this war against Planet Fusion. Though he knew what had happened to Dexter at the hands of his Fusion counterpart was not his fault, the officer nonetheless felt keenly responsible that any harm should have come to someone he looked upon as a friend and comrade, not to mention one of their most valuable assets in this war.

And now . . . he had a nasty feeling he knew exactly what had happened. It was a rare event that Neelandu Shaan threw his weight around, but even with delays Utonium should have been well on his way back to earth. Something – or someone – had to have interfered.

"Not another word until I speak to you, Mandy," he abruptly ordered. "I'll get to the bottom of this now."

She glowered, but even Mandy knew when to listen up and obey. She crossed her arms with a huff and sat back in her chair, watching intently. He pushed her computer-generated image to one side so it would not be visible and activated the comm unit on his Plumber's badge. Almost instantly a 3-D image of a Kineceleran Plumber agent appeared.

"Licentiate Shaan from Terra, Sol system," he said sternly. "Get me Magister Prior Gilhil. I don't care what he's doing. I want to speak to him now. Do not use my title. Understood?"

_"Yes, sir. Right away, sir,"_ said the Kineceleran, openly anxious.

Shaan never glanced Mandy's way as he waited, but he knew he well enough to know the slight motion his eye detected was her arching an eyebrow. A few moments later the badge projected the image of a green, square-jawed alien wearing a starpilot uniform and helmet and seated at the controls of a starship. He looked at least as tough and stern as the man that had summoned him.

_"General Shaan,"_ said Gilhil, sounding supremely annoyed. _"I'm quite busy."_

"Too busy to recall Professor Utonium from Darama?"

_"He's needed there. You know that."_

"He's needed _here_. You know that because I told you."

Prior Gilhil gathered himself, completely unaware of what he was dealing with. _"One injured being from earth, no matter how much his parent cares for him, isn't as important to the universe as the survival of the entire HighBreed race. It's simple logic, General."_

"Did you at least tell Professor Utonium that his son was hurt?"

_"He doesn't need the distraction."_

"Are you telling me Professor Utonium hasn't been told his son was kidnapped and assaulted by his Fusion double?"

Gilhil's square jaw was set in unrelenting determination. _"Yes."_

Shaan felt a moment of scandalized astonishment. He'd been right in his assumption of what had happened. "Do you know _who_ Professor Utonium's son is?"

_"I don't recall the name you gave me, if that's what you're asking."_

"Remember Daving Su and the Capapermin System?"

_"Invaded by Planet Fusion last cycle,"_ the Magister finished. _"The invasion was successfully repelled, thought Daving Su was eventually abandoned."_

"Professor Utonium's son Dexter was the one who invented and made the weapons that repelled the Fusions."

_"No offense, General, but a backwater planet like earth hardly has the capacity to produce the level of technology the Capapermians used to stop the invasion."_

Shaan leaned forward. "Oh? Isn't this the planet that produced the best Plumber operative in this whole organization?"

_"Max Tennyson may have been born on earth, General, but it was the Plumbers that made him great. You can't convince me your planet is capable of making weapons that don't depend upon explosive technology to function."_

"Then I won't waste my breath trying. I need to speak to Professor Utonium immediately, Magister."

_"Denied. He's just had a breakthrough and it looks as if he may have found a means of beating this virus. We need him focused on the problem, not worried about something he can't change."_

"And you've assumed authority for him to make such a decision? You know, for such a backwater planet we certainly seem to produce some outstanding members of our society, wouldn't you say? First Max, then his grandson, and now Professor Utonium has saved the HighBreed from a disease they couldn't cure."

Magister Gilhil glowered, realizing he was being unduly judgmental. _"I spoke out of turn. Nonetheless, one life, no matter how dear, can't be valuable above millions of HighBreed."_

Shaan's dark eyes narrowed and his expression hardened. "See, that's where you're wrong," he replied. "Did you not hear what I said? This child is the one who makes the weapons used to repel attacks by Planet Fusion. One life that has saved billions, including the HighBreed."

The Plumber digested this, looking stubborn.

"You've made the mistake of underestimating the inhabitants of this planet in the past. History seems to be repeating itself. I have one last question, Magister Gilhil."

_"What?"_ Gilhil asked impatiently.

"When does your license expire?"

The Magister, so used to being in command and being the one to give orders, stared in open amazement at this question. Finally he found his voice. _"You're . . . a check?"_

"You're darned right I am, Magister. You'd know that in a good way if you'd relayed my request when I made it and not taken it upon your own authority to decide what's best for the populations of two planets."

The image of Mandy watched and listened with great interest, rather enjoying seeing Gilhil getting his butt handed to him after he had stonewalled them for almost a week. Shaan lifted a small, green-and-silver emblem from his desk and held it up for Prior Gilhil to see clearly. It was a variant on the typical Plumber's badge, and it proved Shaan's rank as an examiner from within the ranks of Plumbers.

"Plumber Licentiate Neelandu Arjuna Prasad Shaan," he snapped, his Texan accent at odds with such an exotic title and name. "I need to speak to the Professor immediately."

The Magister looked both outflanked and resentful. Clearly he had been blindsided.

_"Just a moment, Licentiate,"_ he said in newly subdued tones, bent over the controls of his ship. _"Establishing a comm link. Sir-"_

"The next voice I hear had better belong to Professor Utonium or a HighBreed within twenty feet of him, Gilhil, or I'm revoking your power of arrest and grounding you pending an inquiry."

_"Kraskat Medical Research Center," _said a raspy voice over the badge's communication system. Definitely a HighBreed.

_"This is Magister Prior Gilhil,"_ he said._ "I need to contact Professor Utonium immediately."_

_"One moment, Magister Gilhil,"_ said the voice. _"Teacher Utonium is in the sterile area of the infectious disease testing lab and cannot access a comm unit within the chamber. His assistant the Morton is available, if that will suffice."_

Gilhil looked at Shaan, who nodded.

_"That will suffice,"_ said the Magister. _"Can we get a visual?"_

Gilhil's image vanished, to be replaced by a tired-looking Sergeant Morton from DexLabs Security. Dexter had insisted the best, most trusted member of his security staff accompany his father on this mission, and poor Chip had found himself in orbit before he even knew where he was going.

"Sergeant," Shaan immediately called, glad to see the man. "This is General Shaan. How are things progressing?"

_"Sir. Good to see you. Professor Utonium isolated the gene that makes the HighBreed susceptible to this virus, and he's found a way to keep it from . . ."_ He raised his hands helplessly, in over his head with trying to explain the science of what Utonium was striving to accomplish. _"Doing whatever viruses do inside of cells."_

"Understood. I'm relieved to hear it. When did this happen?"

Morton made a face. Time took on a whole different meaning when interstellar travel was involved. "_Um . . . I'd estimate about four days ago, give or take, sir. I know they're working on their third batch of serum right now. I think they're just trying to figure out the dosage."_

"Have you or Professor Utonium received any of the scheduled or emergency communications from earth?"

_"No, General,"_ Morton replied. _"Not for the last week or more. The Professor has been getting pretty antsy to hear from the kids, too. He was going to see about contacting DexLabs later today to check up on them. Is everything okay?"_

By his tone and body language it was plain that he knew something was amiss, but he was trying to be optimistic.

"No, it's not," Shaan said, well aware that Gilhil could hear. "The children are safe, but all's not well. Please have the Professor contact me as soon as possible."

_"Sir?"_ Morton asked, immediately catching on that the General had to be talking about Dexter, considering the fact that the Powerpuff Girls were practically indestructible. Like most people close to Dexter, Morton had a great deal of respect and affection for his fiery little boss. An instant later he backed down. This was for Utonium to hear first. _"Yes, sir. I'll go tell him myself and have him contact you as soon as possible. Morton out."_

"Magister."

The 3-D image of Gilhil returned, hovering above the badge.

"I'm going to arrange with the HighBreed Supreme to return Utonium's party to earth in one of their cruisers via jump gate. If that plan falls through, I'll be in contact for you transport them. Furthermore, in light of you overstepping your authority in this matter, you can expect a check ride in the near future. Shaan out."

The disgruntled Magister disappeared in a flicker of light. Shaan looked to Mandy. The blonde girl was smirking in satisfaction.

_"Check?" _she finally asked.

Shaan smirked right back at her. "Plumber slang. I'm one of the people responsible for reviewing performance and recommending corrective action."

_"Sweet. He won't try that twice."_

"Not if he wants to avoid a court martial. Do you want to talk to Utonium or would you prefer I do it?"

_"Let me. I'm the one with my boots on the ground."_


	2. Pulse Wave

**Two: Pulse Wave**

"All right, Dangarin, let's run it again"

There was an air of suppressed excitement about his HighBreed assistant as Dangarin obediently activated the equipment. After a month of working alongside the aspiring doctor, Utonium had a very good grasp of Dangarin's emotional state. The little hissing noise he was making would soon turn into something close to a purr as the HighBreed expressed genuine happiness and satisfaction. Exhausted though he may be, Utonium found himself smiling and wondering exactly how HighBreed went about celebrating. He tried to imagine Dangarin dancing, but shook his head at the thought.

They'd certainly have good reason to celebrate very soon. It seemed all that remained to conquer this virus was to find the correct medium in which to suspend the antiviral drug and deliver it to the HighBreed scattered across the galaxy. Fortunately the doctors here at the Kraskat Medical Research Center had a number of mediums readily available and were confident they could begin producing a viable treatment in a matter of days.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Five weeks prior:

_"Professor Utonium."_

"Max! How are you?"

_"Okay. Pat, we have a problem." _

"We who?"

_"The Plumbers." _

"What's going on?"

_"It's the HighBreed. They've contracted a virus their immune systems can't handle and their doctors can't cure. They're dying in droves just after they got a new lease on life. We can't lose such a powerful ally, especially since their supreme leader is doing everything in his power to turn the race around and promote peace. This isn't the usual shtick for the Plumbers, but they're desperate and so are we. Any relief we can give will probably go far toward enlisting their help against Planet Fusion."_

He never hesitated. "What can you tell me about it?"

It was a crafty, devious virus, born of generation after generation of inbreeding. The HighBreed DNA had been breaking down for centuries. As fewer of them were born the gene pool had dwindled until the virus had worked its way into every living HighBreed. It worked in their digestion, cutting off their system's ability to absorb nutrients, starving them to death even as the virus caused their internal organs – usually the lungs – to develop thick, fibrous coatings of tissue that prevented movement of organs and muscles. Most who did not simply starve to death, asphyxiated. It was hideous and painful and it targeted the youngest, most vulnerable of the HighBreeds. Even the random infusion of alien DNA into their systems from the Omnitrix could not alter the fact that at their very core, their racial arrogance had doomed them all.

"Max," he'd said a week later after plowing his way through the translated notes and records, "this isn't something that can be cured in the traditional sense. It's not an invasive organism like when we get a cold. It's part of their DNA."

_"Isn't there anything that can be done?" _

"Have they developed any interferons to block the virus from activating or preventing it from working once it does become active? I didn't see anything to that effect in the information you sent."

_"That's all I have. From what I can tell their medical science isn't as advanced as their military science. They held themselves so pure and superior that they wouldn't consider cloning themselves or interfering with their own DNA." _

"Haven't they fully mapped their own DNA?" he asked, astounded.

_"No idea. That's why we're coming to you." _

"Something like this can be controlled, and I think with enough research and planning it can be eliminated from their genetic code. In the meantime, we have to stop the virus from triggering in the HighBreed that are still healthy and block it in the ones that are sick."

There was relief in Max's voice._ "Can it be controlled now? To keep more from dying?" _

"I think so."

He sighed. _"So where do we go from here, Pat?" _

It took him a very long time to answer, mostly because he didn't want to recognize the truth of the matter. "I have to go to them."

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Arrangements were swiftly made. His four teenage children were not happy in the least that he would be leaving them, but they understood the need for his skill. Dexter insisted that Sergeant Morton accompany him even before consulting the security chief. Max Tennyson was also going with them to get them settled on Darama, though he expected to be dispatched elsewhere by the Plumbers. Utonium was uneasy without an adult present to watch over his family, Dexter more so than the girls since they had super powers and recognized that they needed to sleep. Normally he would have asked Kilroy Green, Dexter's physics tutor, to watch them but he was on a leave of absence to take care of family matters in his native Japan.

In the end he had asked DeeDee to keep an eye on Dexter. It wasn't a perfect solution – far from it – but she was vivaciously attached to her brother and very good at distracting him. To balance her empty-headedness, he also asked Ben Tennyson to check on Dexter regularly. Dexter was quite busy enough that he would not be going far past his laboratory doors, and he promised not to venture anywhere outside his corporate headquarters.

The night before he left they celebrated Dexter's birthday a few weeks early. They said their good-byes, and early the next morning he bestowed a final kiss on each sleeping child before stealing out. He only hoped that he would be back in time to celebrate the girls' birthday.

He found the HighBreed to be both technologically advanced beyond earth and woefully ignorant of basic genetic principles. Their long-held faith in their own purity had elevated genetic research to something not far removed from forbidden knowledge, bordering witchcraft. On the astonishingly quick journey from earth to Darama, Utonium had set about establishing the HighBreed genome. He'd run into trouble immediately because all the HighBreed on the battle cruiser that had come to transport him had DNA from their race and one chosen randomly from the Omnitrix. Undeterred, he'd sent word to Darama to let them know what he needed: pure, unadulterated HighBreed DNA. As it turned out, there was only one HighBreed on the planet at the present time who had not been affected by the genetic resequencing wave sent out by Ben's activation of the Omnitrix. He gladly sacrificed the sample needed, and Utonium almost overloaded Computress to get the full complement of material he needed before they landed and he lost contact with Dexter's super computer.

Their understated gratitude for his assistance – gratitude that was so hard for them to express to an alien and assistance that was so hard for them to accept – was personified in Dangarin, the HighBreed appointed to assist him. At the onset of their collaboration he had been borderline hostile, aloof, rude, superior, and resistant to change. Compared to Dexter, though, the HighBreed was an amateur. It had taken Utonium all of three days to win him over and see that they needed to work together to serve the greater good, a goal even the most stubborn of HighBreeds could agree with. The translator badges supplied by the Plumbers could only go so far. He had to learn what their technology could and couldn't do, the limits of their medicine, even something as simple as the way they counted. It wasn't easy, and at first their attitudes and contempt didn't help, but on day three he had chewed Dangarin out more completely than the HighBreed had ever imagined possible and told him to either shut up and help save his race or get out. He didn't care that the HighBreed was almost twice his height and frighteningly strong. It had the desired effect – Dangarin had been thoroughly cowed even as he began to see reason. By the end of his first week, the Professor had half of the staff of the research center on his side.

An unannounced visit by the HighBreed Supreme, however, had won over every HighBreed in the facility. Tall, dignified, imposing by any standards, Reinrassig III had proven to be extremely gracious and welcoming to Utonium and the few people that had accompanied him to Darama. He listened with great interest and respect to the measures Utonium was proposing to counteract the virus and the nearly heretical suggestion that the HighBreed interfere with their own genetic code. While Ben Tennyson had forcefully _added _to the HighBreed DNA, Utonium was telling them they needed to deliberately _change_ the very basis of their existence to survive.

"It's called evolution," he said sternly to the visiting dignitaries. Most were white and, for the Professor, hard to tell apart, but a few had variants of color or markings or features that bespoke the different genes they now sported. Reinrassig himself had one arm that was almost completely green from having been healed by Ben Tennyson in Methanosian form. "Simply put, adapt or die."

"Our race had little hope before," Reinrassig replied, "and little desire to survive. Today, however, we have much to live for and much to atone for."

"And you have an awful lot to learn about yourselves, Supreme," Utonium added, sensing a chance to promote a grossly overlooked aspect of their science. For a moment he'd though that he had overstepped, because Reinrassig paused and slowly turned.

"Max Tennyson said that your title means you are a teacher."

"Yes. I have been in the past."

"Then every HighBreed in this facility is now your student."

"Including you?"

"Yes."

That simple introduction opened the doors to an unusual working relationship that very quickly turned to something close to friendship as they discovered some common values, most of them centered on family life. As a general rule the HighBreed valued family very highly, though usually they regarded it as a status symbol more than a support network. Offspring were treasured because healthy children had, until very recently, been a great rarity, and having siblings was something to brag about.

Reinrassig, as it turned out, had five children, which in HighBreed eyes not only made him fabulously wealthy but also a highly desirable mate. He spoke of them with immense pride, and he even brought Jernrassic, one of his young sons (who was taller than Utonium and was called a friblet by his father) with him one day to meet Utonium. Talk of children had made Reinrassig politely inquire if Utonium had any friblets of his own, and Utonium had asked Morton to fetch a photo album from their quarters. One of his bags had been repacked to his daughters' standards, meaning he had unknowingly brought along with him a stack of drawings of flowers, two stuffed animals, several books by Ayn Rand, a football, a CD of Dexter playing the piano (though no CD player, which told him this had been the Powerpuff Girls in action), a bag of Skittles, microwave popcorn (which Morton ate before they left earth's solar system), and a photo album they had put together specifically for this trip.

The photos fascinated father and friblet alike. Utonium gladly took a break to sit with them and walk them through the album and show off his own family. He didn't try to explain that he'd made the girls or that Dexter was technically his ward, he just claimed them all as his friblets. Neither HighBreed could tell DeeDee from Bubbles, and the function of Dexter's glasses confused Jernrassic utterly. However, it was in a picture of Dexter and Ben Tennyson standing with the DexLabs NASCAR team and cars at Talladega that Reinrassig discovered they had a common friend. Until this moment Utonium had not revealed his family was quite close with Ben or that the teen spent a great deal of time both in their home in DexLabs headquarters and in Dexter's laboratory. The opportunity just hadn't presented itself before, but now he took full advantage of the situation and regaled Reinrassig with tales of Ben.

Both HighBreed had been thrilled to see Ben and talk about him. They were even more thrilled when Utonium gave them that photo and another with Ben in it to keep - all the children piled together in a heap and laughing. Reinrassig related the story of how he and 'BenBen' (a nickname young Mr. Tennyson had not revealed) had met in far greater detail than Utonium had ever heard Ben tell it, and it was plain to the man that the teen had a huge fan in the HighBreed Supreme. Reinrassig was immensely satisfied to know BenBen had friends such as Utonium and his friblets.

Though Reinrassig's visits were welcome diversions, they were rare. Most of Utonium's days were filled with finding a way to stop the HighBreed DNA from degrading any further and thus robbing the virus of its chance to claim another victim. It was the head of the Kraskat facility, an amazingly grumpy old HighBreed named Murdevy (who would gladly have strangled Ben 10 for causing him to wake up the most shocking shades of magenta and teal when his DNA had been combined with that of a tiny aquatic species known as the Frink) who gave him the grim statistics. At least thirty-seven percent of the entire HighBreed population was showing symptoms of the virus, and thousands had died already. When a race numbered just a few million beings, such casualties were staggering.

He almost never left the laboratory they had set up for him. He ate only when Morton made him stop for a little while and even in sleep his mind worked the problem. Morton, used to Dexter's particular brand of relentless drive, was astonished to have discovered someone much, much worse than the boy genius.

It did not take Utonium long to find the culprit in the HighBreed DNA. Upon isolating the faulty gene, he planned his attack and rallied all the forces he had to command: science, determination, and an intimate knowledge of the elements and nuances that made life possible.

The Professor didn't know, as Morton did, that initially the HighBreed scientists had been deeply ashamed of their ignorance and their anger had been directed more at themselves than at the Professor. Seeing his resolve in solving this problem – and thereby saving the future of their race – and the esteem afforded him by their supreme leader, the staff at Kraskat rallied and threw themselves into the task. They called on medical archives and historians and searched records and old texts for anything useful. By the time Dangarin and Murdevy were done dropping the name of the HighBreed Supreme, hundreds of workers around the planet were helping to seek the answers they so desperately needed.

Throughout all this, though, Utonium quietly worked, teaching as he went. He refused to let them think of anything that did not succeed as a failure. He insisted that every time a new process or interferon did not work as hoped it was one answer more eliminated from the pool of possibilities. They were getting closer, of that he had no doubt. Several amino acid sequences had bonded with the faulty gene, temporarily halting the virus from multiplying before breaking down. He knew it was simply a matter of finding the exact sequence. Unfortunately he could not rely on the HighBreed doctors to know how to test the sequences properly, nor did he have time to teach them more than the basics. Despite the translators he could not rely on their computers to run the exact extrapolations he needed, and so he had to do things the old fashioned way: manually. The brunt of the work fell onto his shoulders, and Utonium moved forward like an automaton.

Time ceased to exist for him. He never left the facility, never saw the sun rise or set, never once breathed unfiltered air. The only things that gave the Professor a sense of one moment being followed by another was the dwindling list of possibilities, requests for updates from Reinrassig, and the regular calls from his children. His unkempt appearance startled and frightened them. Dexter furiously swore he was going to cut Morton's pay if the security sergeant didn't make Utonium eat and sleep more, and then threatened to cut Utonium's pay as well.

And then . . . the calls stopped. At first he didn't notice the absence, so absorbed was he. Then one evening in his quarters he snapped back to the here-and-now while staring at the drawings Bubbles had sent along. He could not remember the last time he'd spoken to his children. With a worried frown he rose, trying to figure out how to contact them instead.

_"Professor Utonium!" _

He whipped around to face the viewing screen. It was Dangarin, and he could tell the HighBreed was terribly excited.

_"Professor, the samples from yesterday, batch A849. They're stable."_

He blinked, trying to remember the combination of proteins and amino acids from that batch of serum. "What?"

_"I know the Morton has sent you to rest, but could you come back to the lab?"_

He nodded, too exhausted to feel anything more than a dull, numb hope, something he knew he should not entertain. He left his warm rooms for the chilly corridor, hurrying through the stark silver halls to the large (and his opinion, rather drafty) lab. Dangarin had set up the scanners and had samples ready. Utonium stood on a stool (this part of the lab being set up for the HighBreed, not him) to look directly at the round screen and the information displayed. Dangarin was silent and tense, suspense gripping him. For once Utonium did not explain as he stared at the images, his fatigue and worries forgotten.

"Run the sequence again, Dangarin."

He refused to react. Murdevy had given him regular reports: since Utonium had arrived on Drama, over four thousand more HighBreed had perished. Most of them were of the generation born right before Ben had resequenced their DNA. He did not want to get up the hopes of a whole world, only to disappoint them. Even if this was the answer, staggering amounts of work still remained.

"And now?" asked Dangarin half an hour later when the test had been repeated.

Utonium smiled faintly, about to introduce his assistant to the true meaning of tedium. "Run it again."

Run it again became his mantra. He tried his best to keep his HighBreed assistants from getting too excited, but there was a definite sense of happy tension in the research center. Everything they tried was checked, double checked, triple checked. Nothing could be rushed, no corners could be cut. They had to be absolutely sure they had found a means of blocking the virus from activating. The gene would remain, but combined with the amino acids and proteins in serum A849 it did not turn on its host, but stabilized.

He had no memory leading up to his collapse. One moment he was working in the lab alongside Dangarin, writing down information, the next he woke up on a soft couch in an unfamiliar room with Morton quietly snoring in the oversized chair beside him. The room was quite elaborate and by HighBreed standards, very luxurious. Utonium sat up, feeling at once heavy but rested. He was still physically exhausted but for now he'd gotten enough sleep, probably the most he'd gotten all month.

The door opened and it took a moment for him to recognize Jernrassic, Reinrassig's friblet. Utonium motioned for the young HighBreed not to speak for fear of waking the sergeant, and throwing back the covers, joined him.

"My sire is concerned for you, Teacher Utonium," said Jernrassic. "He had you brought here so that you could rest without distraction. Will you see him?"

"Of course. Is this your home?"

"It is the home of the Supreme," said Jernrassic. "You collapsed yesterday. My sire was very anxious. He said your kind are . . . fragile."

Utonium smiled. "I'm just tired is all. We're not so delicate."

Reinrassig left whatever business he was dealing with to greet Utonium and insisted that he not push himself so hard. The Professor smiled but made no promises, and to his amusement it was the HighBreed Supreme that briefed him on his own progress. Dangarin and Murdevy had recommended they test the serum on infected and healthy HighBreed alike, and Reinrassig had given his approval pending Utonium's agreement.

"I have to get back to the lab for that, to help find suitable-"

Reinrassig waved aside his worries. "We have numerous volunteers of many ages willing to be used as test subjects. They have been asking since you arrived. In a way this virus has taught my people a valuable lesson. Purity is no guarantee of superiority, and more have come to accept and even embrace the changes the Omnitrix wrought upon us."

Utonium's gaze fell upon the Supreme's green arm, the one Ben had healed. That simple act had changed the whole universe. Abruptly he realized that the resequencing pulse had not affected Reinrassic. It hadn't needed to, though the Methanosian DNA was confined just to his arm.

"You gave me the DNA sample I requested," he said, certain he was right when Jernrassic stood straighter and managed to look smug.

Reinrassig bowed a tiny bit. "I had that honor, Professor. If BenBen Tennyson had not ignored my complaints and acted as he saw fit, I would not have survived."

And neither would the HighBreed race. They all knew it. Mention of Ben reminded him that he had not heard from his children in too long.

"Supreme, I haven't heard from my – my friblets."

One father to another, Reinrassig was immediately concerned. "Have they not been contacting you through the Plumbers?"

"They had been, but . . . not recently. I'm worried."

"We will contact Max Tennyson."

To Utonium's surprise, Reinrassig meant right then and there. A few orders, a few connections, and Utonium was talking to Max on the communications unit. Recalled by the Plumbers four days after arriving at Darama, he was presently teaching deep space battle tactics to some trainees.

"Max," he said after briefing his friend on their progress against the virus, "the kids haven't been calling. Magister Gilhil was supposed to be relaying their communications through the Plumber transmitter stations."

The elderly man immediately looked concerned. _"I'll contact Prior and get right back to you on this channel."_

He was as good as his word. Not twenty minutes later Max was back and smiling. "_I spoke to Gilhil. There was some interference from the cluster of pulsars in the neighboring sector and communications were down. He said the kids recorded a message since they couldn't contact you directly, but it was probably lost if you didn't receive it. Our relay station has been on the fritz."_

"Have communications been re-established?"

_"Yeah, but they're not real reliable right now. I'm sure the kids are fine, Pat."_

Utonium had to be satisfied with that. He was, because Max was an old and trusted friend and grandfather of his son's best friend.

And now, a few days later, he stood with Dangarin as they devised the best means of delivering their salvo to the enemy. From here they would be testing the serum on living subjects. Utonium had hesitated to use it on the HighBreed just yet, but one old dame in the second stage of the virus had very crossly pointed out to this stupid and spineless lesser being that they had all been given a death sentence, and even if the treatment killed them instantly or didn't work at all, they would die regardless. Her logic was inarguable, and she was among the first slated to try the interferon.

"Professor."

"Yes, Dangarin?"

Through his burning excitement, Utonium's Highbreed assistant was perfectly serious as he said, "Even if this is not the sequence we seek, I thank you. Speaking to the Morton, I understand that you came here voluntarily, leaving behind your family. You have sacrificed much."

He smiled, running a hand through his hair, realizing he needed to get it cut. "I'm happy to help. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had done nothing."

"I – sir, the Morton!"

Dangarin broke off as Chip Morton stepped into the viewing room overlooking the laboratory. From the first the HighBreed had referred to the security sergeant as '_the_ Morton' since 'morton' was their word for a class of heavy battle cruiser, a fact which amused Utonium as much as it impressed the HighBreed. Right now he looked extremely agitated and he waved for the Professor, unable to talk to him directly since the communication systems interfered with the delicate instruments in the lab. Utonium acknowledged him and gestured for him to wait a moment as he issued some final orders.

"When this batch is done, seal the vials and get them right to Murdevy. He should have the dosage worked out by now."

"Yes, sir."

It took a few minutes to get through the various airlocks and decontamination units between him and Morton, and by the blond's expression he knew instantly that something was terribly wrong.

"Chip?"

"Call the General, sir. Now."


	3. Betrayed

**Three: Betrayed**

A/N: Brandon, a bit of logic back atcha, dude - not all words can be translated. Sometimes a word will have nuances or deeper meaning that can't be captured in another language. The HighBreed word _friblet_ is such an example.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Everything all right, Professor?"

He didn't recognize his own voice as he softly said, "No."

Pressing his hands to his forehead, Utonium closed his eyes and tried to restore some semblance of order to the riot of thoughts and emotions coursing through him. Nausea gripped him at the thought of what Mandy had just told him.

"Sir?" pressed Morton. "What happened?"

"The Fusion Dexter. It tunneled under DexLabs and captured Dexter and DeeDee."

Morton paled. "Are they okay? Are they back home?"

He nodded, not opening his eyes as he tried to combat a headache. "Th-they're alive. Dexter . . . he almost didn't make it. Ben . . . Ben said he'd been tort– oh, god."

Doubling over in his seat, Utonium tried to steady his breathing, leaning heavily on his knees. He was shaking and shaken, and he had never felt sicker in his whole life. He wanted to scream. He wanted to panic. He wanted to hold his son and reassure himself that Dexter really was alive. Hurt, terribly hurt, but alive. So far from home, though, he could do little more than blink back his tears at the pain and longing that threatened to overwhelm him. Like any other father he had made his fair share of mistakes, but had never experienced such a sense of failure before. Despite the logical part of his mind telling him otherwise, his emotions won out and it felt as if he had completely abandoned his children. A warm hand gripped his shoulder and Morton leaned close.

"When did this happen?"

"Eight-" He choked slightly, hardly able to believe it. "Eight earth days ago."

Morton frowned. "That's why they haven't called."

"We have to get back, Chip. I know Mandy hasn't told me everything, but I can't stay here."

"What about the HighBreed?"

"I'm useless to them now," Utonium replied, knowing it was the truth. He might be able to work while exhausted, but there was no possibility of relying on his work when he was this frantic. He stood up, not exactly steady. "I have to go see Reinrassig."

"I'm going with you, sir. You're in no shape."

The HighBreed Supreme was already aware of the situation thanks to General Shaan. Sympathetic and distressed when Utonium told him details of what had happened, he could tell immediately that the Professor would not be able to accomplish anything more for them. Not at this stage. Utonium needed to be back on earth with his child. Reinrassig was disappointed – he would have liked nothing more than to shower every honor on this man for all he had done, but in the end the only payment Utonium asked of the people he had fought so hard to save was to go home.

A battle cruiser, one of the fastest in the HighBreed star fleet, was ordered prepared and Reinrassig promised it would be ready to take Utonium home within a day. The trip to earth would be a matter of going from jump gate to jump gate, and it took longer to move in and out of a solar system than it took to travel thousands of light-years. After a bit of consideration, Reinrassig ordered his friblet Jernrassic to accompany the humans. Utonium tried to thank him, but the Supreme would not hear of it in light of what they owed him.

Utonium shocked the staff at the medical center as did his best to tie up loose ends. His arrival on Darama had been unexpected and his departure was even more so, and to the surprise of many HighBreed, they were sorry to see him leave. There were hasty good-byes and promises to continue research on both sides. He didn't even stay to see if the initial round of serum worked. All he could think of was Dexter and the terror and pain he must have felt and must still be feeling. He had to be wondering where Utonium was, why his father hadn't returned, why he had been abandoned, and it was that thought more than any other that filled the Professor with despair.

Jernrassic turned out to be a wise choice of escort. Not only was he good company, but as the son of the HighBreed Supreme he was entitled to a protective convoy of ships. The size of their small armada afforded them priority in the interstellar transit lanes, cutting the journey back to earth by more than a quarter of the amount of time it took to get to the HighBreed home world. He took quite a shine to the Morton, probably because Utonium was so distracted that he could barely carry on a conversation. He took it upon himself to show the sergeant as much of the ship as he was allowed, including the bridge and weapons systems. Proudly he brought word to Utonium that Dangarin was cautiously optimistic of a cure having been found, and Utonium could not help but smile at his understated jubilation.

It was Chip who first realized the duplicity of the Plumbers. Jernrassic was showing him an observation lounge where the plasma windows allowed an unobstructed view into deep space. The ship had been forced to drop out of hyperspace due to strong stellar winds in the immediate area and Jernrassic was showing his human friend the various star clusters and nebulas visible in this sector.

"Any pulsars?" wondered Morton, whose knowledge of science was very limited, though he could appreciate the beauty of what he was being shown. He asked only because he remembered Max mentioning the neutron stars being the cause of so much trouble.

"None in this sector," said the HighBreed. "There is a cluster of them in Darama's sector."

He leaned on the window, gazing out into the vastness. "Can they really mess up communications as bad as Max made out?"

"They can." Jernrassic turned and looked at Morton intently, anxious to convey what he knew. "There has not been any reports of abnormal or elevated activity from the ones by Darama in many cycles."

He frowned. The Professor had filled him in about the conversation with Max Tennyson. "But he said . . ."

"I even consulted our scientists. There has been no unusual activity from the pulsars. Nothing that would affect communications or cause a blackout in my home system or on any of the normal channels between your planet and mine."

"But Max . . ."

Had Prior lied to Max about the message not arriving? Max would have known if communications had been disrupted. But if Max had lied, he must have known about Dexter being attacked almost a week ago. He had known . . . and hadn't told the Professor. Had _Max_ cut off their communications?

"Crud," breathed Morton.

"Indeed," agreed Jernrassic, sounding exactly like his father.

He was still for a little while, trying to decide what to do. Ultimately there was nothing else for it.

The Professor had to know.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Max, this is just me speaking, but I would strongly recommend you don't come back to DexLabs unless specifically invited," Shaan said over the interstellar link.

Max Tennyson sighed, looking his age. _"Pat figured it out."_

"He's a genius. I'd watch my back."

_"Has he been in contact?"_

"Not with us. He had the HighBreed Supreme confirm his suspicions for him. Shockingly, he doesn't trust the Plumbers now," he snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm and anger.

_"He's no fool, either,"_ muttered Max knowingly.

"To put it mildly." Demanded Shaan, "What were you thinking? _Were _you thinking?"

_"If I had told him, he would have left immediately."_

"Of course he would have! Max, his son was kidnapped, tortured, and almost died as a result of massive physical trauma. What would you expect of the man?"

_"Exactly that. The HighBreed would have died without Utonium's help! I couldn't let him leave yet."_

Shaan sighed. This type of conduct was so typical of earth's Magister. "You don't know that, and who are you to make that decision for him? He set them on the right course to find the cure. They would have managed it."

_"How many more would have died waiting for the HighBreed scientists to catch up to him?"_

"And if Dexter had died, would it have been worth it?" challenged the General. _"This_ is why your sons didn't talk to you for almost ten years! You're so focused on the big picture that you lose sight of the little details that make up the picture. These are people, Max! Dexter is a child! You didn't see what that monster did to him! I did! He's lucky to be alive and when he needed his father, you decided on your own what fit your personal agenda best and kept him away. You're so bent on reaching the goal that you don't think about who gets trampled underfoot."

_"We can't afford to lose the Highbreed star fleet."_

"But we can afford to lose the creative genius that's given us the weapons to stand our ground against Planet Fusion? And I'm not talking just the earth, Magister, I'm talking almost a dozen planets with billions of lives on them that owe their continued existence to the Null-Void laser. Are the HighBreed more important than Dexter and all those systems just because they have a _fleet? _Are you serious, Tennyson?"

A sigh escaped Max. For a long moment there was silence as he remembered a similar anger aimed at him from his sons and in more recent years, his grandson. It was the same argument, and Shaan was right as Carl and Frank and Ben had all been, only on a grander scale. _"You're right. I do get too focused on the outcome. Don't take this out on Prior, Neel. He was acting under my orders."_

"Gilhil – and whatever I decide to do to him – is not your concern. He may have been acting under your orders, Max, but he has sense enough to know when to refuse an order. He's done it in the past without consequences. My real concern here is the fact that _you_ chose to override _me_." It was the Plumber Licentiate talking, not the Major General.

_"I take it I'll be hearing from Licentiate Ayat."_

"Count on it in the very near future."

_"I was trying to save a vital ally, General."_

Shaan let out a long, tired sigh. "So was I, Max. So was I."

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

They stepped off the helicopter named _Night Flight Alpha_ and onto the helipad atop DexLabs. It was late at night even though their internal clocks thought it was morning. To Utonium's surprise, General Shaan stood next to Mandy as she waited to greet him and Morton. Their arrival on earth was so abrupt that the helicopter barely made it in time to meet them at the Air Force base where the HighBreed shuttle had set them down. There had been no fanfare and no welcoming except a few startled Air Force officers on duty.

"How is he?" demanded Utonium. He didn't care about anything less.

"I spoke to Buttercup half an hour ago," Mandy said, not in the least put off by his brusque tone. "He's asleep on your bed. He's got about thirty percent of his hearing back and he can talk in whispers. He's been in your quarters since Seventy-Seven let him up long enough to see Tennyson off the other morning. I had to send him to Banff. The Royal Canadian KND were getting their butts handed to them."

He nodded, for once not caring about the KND, and moved to walk past them. Shaan reached out and stopped him.

"Pat-"

"I know what Max did," he said, not looking at the Plumber. "I know he knew what happened to my son and didn't tell me."

"Pat," he repeated quietly. "Max wouldn't let Gilhil tell you."

"He lied to me, Neel. Right to my face. My son could have died, and Max Tennyson lied to me." He finally looked at the General, and in those dark he saw such remorse that he knew Shaan had been as ignorant of this betrayal as he.

"He didn't want to risk distracting you from the task at hand. He thought it was the right thing to do."

Utonium stared at the Army officer. "For him, maybe."

"He was . . ." Shaan hesitated, knowing Utonium had no taste for what he was about to say. "He was thinking of the HighBreed."

"He must have been. He certainly wasn't thinking of me or Dexter. Since when have the Plumbers had the authority to decide what's best for me and mine, General?" he demanded savagely, giving vent to his anger. "After all we've done for you, this is the thanks we get?" Shaan wisely remained silent and Utonium shook off his hand. "Excuse me."

He stalked off, leaving them behind. Morton and Shaan sighed in unison.

"Sucks to be you, General," muttered Mandy as they watched the Professor head for the elevators.

Shaan grimaced. "Yeah. It's going to suck worse to be Prior Gilhil once I'm done with him."

"Oh?"

"The Appoplexians have asked for a representative to help them negotiate a trade agreement with the Pisccissians. The last time the Appoplexians entered into negotiations, they were at it for twenty-two months and ended up with a war instead of a treaty even with assistance. I think Gilhil just volunteered."

"What about Max?"

"He's got to answer to someone less impartial than I am right now. I've got a lot of damage control to do and a lot of fires to put out yet."

"Fires or infernos?"

The doors closed on the elevator.

"Both."

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Their suite here in DexLabs – larger even than the house in Townsville - was dark and quiet when he entered. Only the light in the hall by the bedrooms was lit and he stepped from the bright corridor into twilight. He had the oddest sense of disorientation. It was more than the after-effects of space travel. He had never before experienced so quiet a homecoming. Normally the girls would be squealing and tackling him from all sides and Dexter would quietly wait for his hug. It felt as if he was stealing back into his own life.

A soft meow greeted him and he looked down to see Dexter's Ragdoll cat, Einstein. Usually Utonium was leery of cats, having been kidnapped and brainwashed by malevolent Persian when the girls were quite young, but Dexter adored this beast and the Professor had gone to great lengths to make friends. To his surprise, he was quite happy to see the feline as Einstein wound between his feet, purring.

"Einstein," he said softly, leaning over to stroke the soft fur. Einstein immediately flopped down and rolled over, begging to have his stomach rubbed. "How are you, boy?"

"Hey, cat, where you at?" called a quiet voice. He looked up quickly as Buttercup stepped around the corner. "Einst-Professor!"

For one glorious moment she stood still, astonished and delighted to see him, and it suddenly struck Patrick Utonium that Buttercup was beautiful. All his daughters were lovely, but Buttercup was the only one of the three that remained unconscious of her looks. Blossom was so very pretty and Bubbles could not get cuter if she tried, but Buttercup . . . A month-long absence and his complete exhaustion had wiped away any paternal bias Utonium harbored. She looked just as she always did, but it was as if he was seeing her for the first time and she was so beautiful that she took his breath away.

And then his arms were filled by his beautiful, ecstatic daughter. Her powerful arms held him tightly, lifting him off the floor briefly, and he felt tears sting his eyes that had nothing to do with her iron grip around his middle and everything to do with the fact that she was trembling.

"We've been so worried," she whispered, her cheek resting on his shoulder. "We didn't hear from you in so long and Dexter's been a total mess and we couldn't get anything from the Plumbers until Mandy got hold of General Shaan and I gotta call Blossom and Buttercup back from patrol and-"

"Shh," he said, stroking her glossy hair. "Shh. Just a moment." He pulled back, cupping her face in his hands to get a good look at her and give her a chance to calm down. Her green eyes were bright with unshed tears, and her expression was torn between joy and worry. "Buttercup, you were there, weren't you? In Pittsburgh?"

She nodded and swallowed. "Yeah."

"I only got bits and pieces of what happened. Tell me. Please. While Dexter's asleep."

"We better sit down."

She was a better story teller than Bubbles, being able to stick to the facts even if she did have to backtrack now and then and fill in details. Bubbles would go off on tangents that had no point and Blossom had the habit of interjecting her opinion into every aspect of a story. Buttercup just told him what had happened. He was relieved that DeeDee was unharmed and positively sickened to find out they had been betrayed. The destruction of Dexter's laboratory was distressing, but it was her report on the latest Fusion Dexter and his conduct that filled Utonium with apprehension. He could read between the lines far better than Buttercup could, and this encounter was disturbing on any number of levels.

"Ben was with Dexter in the medical ward most of the time. He should probably still be in there but he wasn't sleeping. Seventy-Seven or Dr. Cardon's been stopping by three or four times a day. His gums are still bleeding a bit and now and then he gets a nose bleed, too. He's been having nightmares of that Ur-Dexter. Professor, he was scary. I mean freak-_me_-out kind of scary."

There was very, very little in this world that could frighten Buttercup, and he took her words to heart.

"It was really weird kicking anything that looked like Dexter into next week. I wanted so bad to go back and make sure that thing was toast, but I had to get them out of there before they got Infected."

He shook his head. "You did the right thing. Thank you. Has he been asking for me?"

"Yeah. He knows you were needed on Darama, but . . ."

"I know, honey. I'm here now."

Hinted Buttercup, "He won't mind if you wake him up."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll go see him. Let your sisters know I'm home, would you?"

She smiled back. "You got it, daddy-o."

His heart started racing as he walked up the stairs to the second story of the suite. His bedroom door was open and he felt a little pang as the light spilled into the room. Dexter was afraid of the dark. It was one of the few things he hadn't feared until that awful encounter with Demongo last fall. Since then he had needed a light on to sleep. Up until this moment he hadn't considered how terribly sad it was that monsters had invaded Dexter's waking hours as well as his sleep.

Quietly he walked to the far side of the bed and crouched down to get a look at his son. Dexter was fast asleep, his red hair tousled and a faint stain of blood on the pillowcase from his gums. He was very pale beneath dark bruises on his face and somehow he looked smaller than Utonium remembered him being. He was certainly thinner. His mind flashed back the night where Dexter had turned up on his doorstep, shivering from the rain and on the brink of tears. The same pain he'd felt then filled Utonium, only now it was so much more intense and wretched because he had not been here to help.

"Dexter?"

He reached out and brushed a few strands of hair away from the boy's face, softly calling his name again as he sat down beside him. There was a deep burn on his temple, and the sight of it and the knowledge of what caused it brought tears to the Professor's eyes. Dexter sucked in his breath, stirring. Knowing perfectly well that even at the best of times Dexter would not be able to see to the edge of the bed without his glasses on, Utonium leaned close.

"Dexter, it's me. I'm home."

Dexter blinked awake and squinted. His eyes were still horribly bloodshot, but he looked at the man he called his father with wonder and relief.

"Dad?"

His voice was faint and rough and sounded nothing like the boy the Professor had left behind a month ago. He covered Utonium's hand with his own, hardly able to believe he wasn't still dreaming. Dexter slowly sat up, reaching for the person he loved and trusted most. He needed nothing more than this man's presence to know he was safe and all would be well. With a little gasp the Professor bent close, holding him as tightly as he dared.

"I'm so sorry," breathed Utonium, his voice betraying the anguish he felt. "Dexter, I didn't know. I would have come immediately. They didn't tell me. I . . . Oh, Dexter I am so sorry."

Refusing to let Utonium blame himself, Dexter shook his head, reaching one hand up to stroke his father's hair in a gesture he had learned right here, in this embrace. He rested his chin on his father's shoulder, leaning close and giving comfort where it was so desperately needed. Dexter didn't care that his arms ached and his head was pounding any more than he cared if the Professor cried or not. Nothing mattered more than having his father back.

It was a very long time before either moved. Finally Utonium pulled back, still maintaining his hold as he gazed upon this marvelous child. Once upon a time Dexter had set out to change the whole world. He had succeeded in ways he had never imagined. In a rush of affection the Professor realized he ranked first among the things Dexter had changed, even if Dexter had done nothing else than give him that much more to love.

"I won't leave you," he promised. "Ever again."

With complete understanding Dexter smiled for the first time since he had been rescued from his Fusion doppleganger. Softly, hoarsely, Dexter whispered, "I know." Leaning forward, he rested against his father's chest, closing his eyes as he felt strong and loving arms enfold him once more in warmth and safety.

And despite everything that had happened, with that simple gesture all was right in the world once again.

_- Fin -_


End file.
